February 2012
17 posts
E. Pat Larkins
Elijah Pat Larkins was the second African-American elected to the Pompano Beach City Commission (1982) and the first to serve as mayor. He was born in Pompano Beach in 1942, the oldest of nine children by farm-worker parents, and graduated from Blanche Ely High School in 1960.
In 2001 Larkins unsuccessfully sought election to the Broward County Commission, but reclaimed his city commission seat...
Lorena Robson
When the Pompano Beach Historical Society was established in 1973, Lorena Hardin Robson was one of its most active members, completing extensive research on the early history of the city. She was born on September 11, 1907, and in addition to her historical work she served as Pompano Beach’s City Clerk. Her other posts in city government included tax assessor, tax collector, registrar,...
House Calls
Before Pompano had a medical doctor who lived in town, most residents relied on Dr. Thomas Kennedy of Fort Lauderdale. Dr. Kennedy was called upon to attend to the sick and injured throughout what is today Broward County in the early years of the 20th century, often with considerable difficulty, as can be seen in his description of traveling to look in on Harry McNab in Pompano:
He was in bed...
Pompano's Drug Stores, 1956
Pompano Beach drug stores, 1956:
Arnold’s Drug Store (Beachway Shopping Center, 818 No. Federal Highway)
Beach Mart Pharmacy (3408 Atlantic Boulevard)
Hamilton’s Pharmacy (130 NE Flagler Avenue)
Medical Pharmacy (1915 Atlantic Boulevard)
Pompano Pharmacy (60 NE First Street)
Prescription Center Pharmacy (2761 Atlantic Boulevard)
West Side Pharmacy (363 NW 3rd...
Policing the Point
Following Lighthouse Point ‘s incorporation in 1956, its first police chief was Phil Grondin and the city’s first police car was a donated early 1950s dented Buick that could, in Grondin’s words, “hardly get out of its own way.” This was soon replaced by a Ford station wagon in which Grondin patrolled the city from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM and then again from 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM....
The Great Transition
Between 1817 and 1859 … the Seminole people were reduced from a powerful confederation of thirty-six towns to a mere handful of left-over families. One observer, writing in 1869, dubbed the three hundred-odd remaining Seminoles a “remnant of a remnant.” Be that as it may, this ragtag remnant showed surprising resiliency in adapting to life in southern Florida. Abandoning the...
Walking Tour on February 18th
The Pompano Beach Historical Society will sponsor a free walking tour of Pompano’s old downtown on Saturday, February 18, 2012, at 10:00 AM.
Long-time Pompano Beach residents Bud Garner and Don Downie will lead the tour, pointing out the historic buildings along the route and discussing the people ran businesses and events that unfolded over the years.
The tour is being held in conjunction...
Signs of the Times
In 1963, Robert E. Bateman wrote a letter to the Florida State Turnpike Authority, asking that his residential development of Coconut Creek be identified by a sign at the Turnpike’s Pompano Beach interchange and that the directional sign to Hammondville be removed.
A written response from the Turnpike Authority’s director of services, C. E. Taylor, noted “it is our current...
John's Pineapples
The August 28, 1908 edition of the Miami News reported that John Sample had planted 40 acres of pineapple in Pompano for the Peninsula Fruit Company, of which he was a manager. Sample had previisously planted 35 acres of pineapples the previous summer.
John Sample was the brother of Albert Neal Sample, who built the Sample-McDougald House in 1916. After several years in Pompano, John and his...
Aunt Betty
Elizabeth “Betty” Hardy Warren was born in 1895 in Hypoluxo, Florida, and came to this area by boat in 1899 with her parents, Mr. And Mrs. I. I. Hardy. As there were no building supplies in Pompano, they brought lumber by boat to build a home in Pompano, not far from Lettuce Lake (today’s Lake Santa Barbara). Although the Hardy’s were not the first people to live in what is today Pompano Beach,...
Medal of Honor
On this date in 1942, Alexander “Sandy” Nininger was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the first U.S. Army recipient in World War II. Nininger had graduated from Fort Lauderdale High School and the U. S. Military Academy and was posted in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked.
His Medal of Honor citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond...
Who's on Top?
Since 1900, every U.S. census had shown that either Miami or Jacksonville have been the cities in Florida with the largest population.
Such was not the case in the 19th century. When Florida became a state in 1845, St. Augustine was the largest city. From 1850 until the Civil War, Pensacola was the most populated city in the state. Immediately after the Civil War, Jacksonville took the top...
Flagler's First Visit
Henry Flagler first visited South Florida in 1892 when he came to what is today the West Palm Beach/Palm Beach area to inspect locations for luxury resorts. He returned the following year, and soon the Royal Poinciana Hotel (1894) and the Palm Beach Inn (1896) were opened. The Palm Beach Inn was later renamed the Breakers Hotel.
Getting Started
The Pompano Park Harness Track held its opening ceremonies and first evening of racing on February 4, 1964. Just over 4,000 people came out to the track that day to witness (and place bets on) the state’s only pari-mutuel harness races.
Dade County Created
Tomorrow (February 4th) will be the 176th anniversary of the creation of Dade County by the Florida Legislature. The county was named in honor of U.S. Army Major Francis L. Dade, who was in command of a contingent of 110 men marching from Fort Brooke (Tampa) to Fort King (Ocala) when they were ambushed on December 28, 1835 by Seminole Indians. Dade and his soldiers were slain, almost to a man.
Dillard High School
The first public school for black students in Broward County was opened in Fort Lauderdale in 1924. Its first principal was Joseph Ely, who would later marry a widowed Pompano educator, Blanche General Boyd.
Principal Ely led the effort to have his school’s name changed from Fort Lauderdale Colored School to one that honored James Hardy Dillard, a white educator who was a leading advocate...
Ms. Director
According to the late local historian Stuart McIver, the first person to shoot a motion picture in Broward County was a Parisian woman by the name of Alice Guy Blanche, who in 1917 took a boat west from Fort Lauderdale and shot the movie Spring of the Year in the Everglades. Apparently, all copies of that early film have been lost.
January 2012
21 posts
Ingemar's Motel
Ingemar Johansson, the Swedish boxer who won the World Heavyweight Championship in 1959 with a KO of Floyd Patterson (who he subsequently lost to twice) was, after his retirement from the ring, a resident of Lighthouse Point and the owner of the Sea Cay Motel in Pompano Beach.
Starting Small
When today’s Broward College opened its doors in 1960 as the Junior College of Broward County, the new educational institution had 28 faculty members teaching 701 students. Classes were held in temporary facilities that had served as the Fort Lauderdale Naval Air Station during World War II (now a part of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport).
Battles Off the Inlet
In World War II, battles were fought in the shadow of the [Hillsboro] lighthouse. German subs patrolled offshore; one grounded on the reefs. IN may 1942, the tanker Lubrofol was torpedoed off Hillsboro Beach. A naval patrol boat rescued all but two of the crew. In 1943, a German sub was captured close to shore; later, another was bombed and sunk south of the light.
Excerpted from The...
Adaptive Reuse
When Coral Ridge Properties began developing Coral Springs in the early 1960s, one of the first buildings to be constructed was a real estate office. In 1966, after CRP had finished a new administration building, the real estate office was moved by the City of Coral Springs and used as the city’s first police station.
Flagler's Jest
Henry M. Flagler was often heard to say, “I would have been a rich man if it hadn’t been for Florida.”
Although his Florida enterprises may not have been as profitable as was his work with Standard Oil Company, while he was making this comment he was still one of the wealthiest men in America.
Start Your Dredges
On December 14, 1911, a celebration was held in Deerfield to mark the beginning of construction of the Hillsboro Canal, which would run from the Florida East Coast Canal (today’s Intracoastal Waterway) to Lake Okeechobee. Florida Governor Albert Gilchrist was in attendance at the event.
A Political Marriage
When Pompano Beach’s southeastern neighbor, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, was incorporated in 1927, Melvin I. Anglin was elected to be its first mayor. Presumably, he could count on at least one vote on the new city commission — his wife Sarah served as one of the five commissioners.
Mrs. Leonard's Motel
In 1969, the famous author and screen writer Elmore Leonard (Hombre, Get Shorty, 3:10 to Yuma, Freaky Deaky to name just a few) purchased a small motel on Pompano Beach for his mother . It is claimed that this was the inspiration for the Coconut Palms Resort Motel (which had no palms on the grounds) in Leonard’s 1982 novel the Cat Chaser.
The Name is Not the Same
When the first section of Pompano Beach Highlands was platted in the early 1950s, the streets were given names that have since been changed. Whereas the roads now have numbers conforming to the Pompano Beach street grid, they had previously been more imaginative:
Original - Seneca Road; current - NE 17th Drive
Original - Bradley Street; current - NE 51st Street
Original - Greenwood Drive;...
Rev. Coleman's Commute
James Emanuel Coleman, who served as the pastor of Pompano’s Mount Calvary Baptist Church from 1923 through 1946, was also, during that period, the pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Deerfield Beach. He would preach on the first and third Sundays in Pompano and on the second and fourth Sundays in Deerfield.
Although Rev. Coleman was active in the north Broward communities for over two...
Rossmoor
Wynmoor, he large retirement community located just west of Pompano Beach on Coconut Creek Parkway, was originally named Rossmoor Village. The name was derived from the founder of the development company that started the complex, Ross Cortese.
In 1973, Rossmoor Land Development Corporation purchased 640 acres from local land owners Kenneth Parker and Neil Tillotson for nine million dollars. ...
Gems of Pompano
According to the 1965 Pompano Beach city directory, the following jewlery store were located in the city limits:
Beachway Jewlers (888 North Federal Highway)
Carr Quality Jewlers (672 South Cypress Road)
Downie’s Jewlers (51 NE First Street and 7 Oceanside Center)
The Mart Jewlery (1401 South Federal Highway)
Bob Pool, Jewler (35 NE First Avenue)
Leonard Taylor (42 Oceanside...
Cresthaven and the Highlands
The Historical Society’s January public program will feature guest speakers discussing the history of Pompano Beach’s Cresthaven and Pompano Beach Highlands neighborhoods. Although these two areas were annexed into the city fairly recently, their histories go back to the early 1950s when major developers sought to meet the housing demands of an expanding population in South Florida.
...
The Merchants Organize
As a result of new shopping centers such as Beachway, Oceanside and Beacon Light being developed, the businessmen of Pompano Downtown and Hammondville Road held an organizational meeting at City Hall in November, 1956, and established a merchants’ association to promote and market the area.
Franklin Sheen
Franklin Sheen came to West Palm Beach in 1893, started as an engineer for the Model Land Company, and left his mark in many places in Palm Beach County. Sheen became city engineer for West Palm Beach, county surveyor for ten years, and then opened a real estate office on Flagler Drive. The early roads of West Palm Beach were built under his direction, including Okeechobee Boulevard in 1909....
Two Funerals at the Baptist Church
Services Set Today for Two of Pompano’s Outstanding Pioneers
Services for two of Pompano Beach’s oldest residents, Elizabeth Florence Henderson, 82, and William B. “Bill” Cheshire, 80, who lived here a total of 84 years , will be held today at the First Baptist Church.
An Order of the Eastern Star graveside service for Mrs. Henderson of 118 NE Sixth St., who died Friday at North District...
Uncle Jim
The names of many of Pompano Beach’s earliest settlers are still remembered today, if only for the parks and roads that bear their name. On the other hand, some of the first to arrive here are familiar to only a few old-timers and those who have researched the city’s history in detail. One such “forgotten” individual is James W. “Uncle Jim” Pearce. At the...
The Tax Collector
The first female elected county-wide in Broward County was Lillie Mae Smith, who served as tax collector from 1925 to 1928. Ms. Smith was born in Ludowici, Georgia in 1892 and came to Fort Lauderdale in 1921 She was an employee in the Broward County Tax Collector Office from the time of her arrival in this area until she ran for office. After leaving public office, she and her brother operated...
Self Help
In the 1950s, a Pompano Beach laundry business located at 300 Atlantic Boulevard allowed customers to “wash your own clothes or we will wash them for you.” The establishment’s name was the Helpy Selfy Laundry.
From School to Resort
In 1922, Herbert L. Malcolm purchased oceanfront land north of the Hillsboro Inlet and established a private school at that location. Several years later he closed the school and opened a private resort — the Hillsboro Club.
December 2011
19 posts
Woodmen in the Graveyards
Visitors to historic cemeteries (including Pompano Beach’s) are likely to find grave markers with the somewhat mysterious inscription “Woodmen of the World.” Who, or what, were the Woodemn of the World, and why are there cemetery markers from this group? The intersting website, Florida’s Lost and Abandoned Graveyards explains:
Some of the most recognizable tombstones...
Sign of the Times
During the Second World War, the City of Pompano erected a large sign on a vacant piece of property at the corner of SE First Street and Flagler Avenue that listed the names of local residents who were serving in the military.
Later, the property was purchased by Bud Lyons who built a structure that housed his farming offices and a Western Auto store. The building now is occupied by a coin...
Turpentine
During the 1930s, over half of the world’s production of turpentine came from the pine forests of Georgia and Florida. There were about 1000 turpentine camps in the southern United States with more than 40,000 workers in the industry.
Chicken Prep
Don Downie remembers Ogden Bros. Grocery, located on NE First Street just east of the railroad tracks:
Out the main back double doors was a roofed area. Mr. Ogden had an employee named Red who worked with the butchers. Chickens were a huge part of the meat department. Outside there were cages of live chickens stacked next to a long wooden table. Red would grab a chicken throw it on the...
Temporary Locations
St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church was established in 1956 to serve the fast-growing Cresthaven and Pompano Beach Highlands developments, as well as surrounding areas of Pompano Beach and Deerfield Beach. According to the church’s history, before the church’s sanctuary was completed, services were held at McFadden’s Restaurant (this may be a mistake, as the City Directory...
Independent Indians
Although the overwhelming majority of indigenous South Florida Indians are members of the Seminole or Miccosukee tribes, there remains a few local Indians who are not enrolled in either Tribe. They exist as organized “Independent” Seminoles not formally recognized by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Many “Independents” oppose any government intervention into...
Fast Growing Elks
The Pompano Beach Elks Lodge (#1898) was chartered in April 1953, with an initial membership of 97. Within a year its membership had surpassed 200.
Ruins of the Past
In 1954, a columnist for the Pompano Beach Town News “discovered” what was left of the old Pompano race track that had opened in 1926:
We found it … back in the bush, southwest of the Farmer’s Market … a ragged skeleton of a club-house and a moth-eaten, weed-grown oval that had once been the track … a remnant of the boom days, all that remained of an ambitious...
Six-Figure Budget
In August, 1954, the Pompano Beach City Commission unanimously approved the municipality’s first budget that exceeded one million dollars. $1,120,505 to be exact.
Hunter's Manor
The Hunter’s Manor area in Pompano Beach is located east of Powerline Road and south of Copans Road. Much of it was purchased by Paul Hunter, probably in the 1930s. It was in this area that Westview Cemetery was established by the Pompano Christian Pallbearers Society as a place for the burial of African-Americans.
Park Planning
Although Everglades National park was not dedicated until 1947, the effort to create the park began decades earlier. In 1930, the Everglades National Park Committee visited southern Florida, and reported to the Interior Department that the Everglades met the standards for a national park. Four years later, Congress authorized the park, contingent on the State of Florida acquiring two-million...
It's Cold Outside
On this date in 1934 a severe freeze hit Florida, with major crop losses for Pompano farmers. In its aftermath a frost warning service was establsihed by the National Weather Bureau.